THE FLOCK NEWSLETTER

New Product Alert:

Hey Mr. Chickadee Feeder

Are you looking to add a new feeder to your bird feeding set-up? Here is our newest option, the “Hey Mr. Chickadee Feeder.” This tray-style feeder is easy to clean and refill! Many different types of food can be served in it, from our famous Bark Butter® Bits to our No-Mess Plus seed blend. There is enough room for Black-capped Chickadees, Northern Cardinals, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers to sit comfortably and enjoy a tasty morsel. If you want a little more protection from the rain or snow with this feeder, any of our weather guards can be bought with it. Visit our staff in-store or shop online with us at https://order.wbu.com/brighton for all your bird feeding needs.

What have we been seeing?

A Great Horned Owl!

During this time of year, it is always possible to see something you haven’t before, because lots of birds are moving around to determine where they are hunkering down for the winter. Our manager Summer came across this Great Horned Owl during a hike on her property. In the past, she has only ever seen Barred Owls, so this was an amazing treat. It was there long enough for Summer to watch it preen and puff up its feathers to gather some warmth from the morning chill. Great Horned Owls are more often seen at night, but it is always a good idea to keep an eye on the trees for any other hawks, owls, warblers, or kinglets during the day right now.

Nature Nerd Corner:

Squirrely Parents

Our customer J.B. has had a great year for their squirrels. This one they have lovingly named Jeff, who turned out to be a mother, twice this year! Squirrels can have two litters of kits a year, the first set in early spring and another in late summer. Usually, there is an increase in squirrel activity because they need to feed themselves and their babies. Another fun fact to know about black squirrels is that they are Eastern Gray Squirrels, just with more melanin in their fur that makes them darker. If you want to feed the squirrels, they love peanuts and wildlife seed blends. Do you have a fun story or picture you want to share with us? Just send us an email [email protected] or message on Facebook!

Save the Songbirds:

Why Migrate?

Why do birds take the risk of traveling such long distances? They face many hazards during their trips north and south like bad weather, predators, exhaustion, collisions, and starvation. But the reward is much greater than you think! By nesting in the northern hemisphere, the longer days during summer allows birds to collect more food for their young and shorten the nesting period by 2- 3 days. There is more land mass and space in the north, so birds can spread out and claim territory for the breeding season. Overall, migration benefits the species, even though some might not survive the trip.

There are some ways you can make the journey safer for our feathered friends. Turning off lights at night will lower the amount of window strikes and fatalities for nocturnal migrating birds. Many birds use the sun, stars, and the earth’s magnetic field to guide them southwards, so the light they see in our homes can disrupt their senses and make their journey tougher. During the day, if your windows have UV-reflective stickers, bird collision tape, window screens, paint, or film on them - these measures will help break up the landscape reflections to reduce window strikes.

Bird Cast is a useful tool that can estimate how many birds are traveling at night over your house. This forecasting system is updated every few hours by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Colorado State University. Simply enter which state or county you live in for accurate predictions. On the other hand, if you want to know which species are moving through and what to keep a look out for, eBird is the tool for you. This is an app that can be downloaded onto a phone or tablet or can be searched for on a computer. eBird is updated consistently and is fueled by birders reporting the species they have been seeing on their excursions. In addition, you can record your observations and keep track of your sightings, too.

Source: birdcast.info and ebird.org/explore